The Perfect Question
by Andernina
Summary: When one asks a question-a very important question-what is the best way to go about it? What if your heart won't help you bring it forward so simply because your head is too far behind?


There was always that one thing on Tamaki's mind; a constant stream of related thoughts that nearly controlled his existence, and that was women. Now before one goes to assume that Mister Tamaki Suoh was some playboy out to toy with the hearts of the females around him, then one could be fairly certain that was correct. However, he wasn't doing it with the purpose that would leave a vast ocean of broken hearts floating amongst their owners' tears behind him. No, he sought to make the women happy with the slightest touch, the kindest words and the most sparkling blue eyes the entire Ouran Academy female populace had ever seen. His essence was simply described as your ever loved Prince Charming. From the fairy tales to your heart, Tamaki had his luck cut out when it came to success with women.

While Tamaki had women on the mind as a constant thought, it wasn't even nearly close to being the same thought catering to his host business at school. No, there were specifically three females in his life that he could hardly imagine himself _not_ thinking about. They were all magical and loving in their own way, and he truly loved each of them as much as he could possibly swell out of himself, but these three were by no means his customers.

The first woman, who had been there for him since the very beginning and had captured his heart was none other than his mother. His love for his mother was taken on with love of her own, their relationship as mother and son as close as it could ever be despite their hard times. She had been the first to care for and love him like none other, and now that they were separated it was that familial bond that they shared—the love of a growing seventeen years between them that made the distance bearable. As his mother slipped across his mind he sighed as he missed her, and let his eyes drift out the window onto the grass, hardly paying attention to his class.

The second woman, or to be more accurately stated, the second female was the friendly soul that made what would otherwise be his upsetting home life fun and exciting. No doubt that even his dog Antoinette held a special place in his heart that wouldn't dare go unnoticed. Since his mother couldn't be there with him, Antoinette had taken over the "role" of his caretaker. While she was a dog, she was the one who was there for him to comfort him, to lift his spirits and to keep his mind off of any unpleasant thoughts concerning the date or any less than satisfactory consultations with his Yakuza wife of a grandmother. Yes, Antoinette was a Godsend growing up, and he wouldn't know what to do without her. Even now, as his eyes lifted to gaze at the clouds, large fluffy dogs bounced across the sky.

While the first two females in his life may sound perfect with all the right attributes to make any man happy, one would expect the third to be in some form or another rather similar to her predecessors. However, his commoner of a schoolmate was far from being the loving and nurturing women he otherwise surrounded himself with. With her shaggy hair blunt attitude, she barely resembled the sweet girl that he took her for, but regardless of what she may look like or how she may behave there was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with her. His feelings for her were nearly unstoppable, a large rushing force of feelings that often suffocated the girl to the point that she would insult him or ignore him.

The final bell of the day rang through his ears, pulling him away from his drifting fantasies and back to the classroom. Gathering his things and carrying them out, he knew that he had no time to waste before it was time for club activities to start. He needed to be there almost before Kyouya, his mental image of the club's atmospheric wonderland of the day ready to go for Kyouya to prepare. Meeting Kyouya there at the same time his friend arrived, Tamaki tossed his books aside and pulled a brochure out of his pocket and gave it to Kyouya. Today's theme was going to be centered primarily around Hunny's cute Lolita demeanor, and turn the entire club room into a large doll house where it was always time for sweets and tea.

Changing into a princely outfit, Tamaki took a seat on the couch he usually claimed, his roses prepared for the lineup of customers he would care for. The sweets and tea were properly placed, and everyone's costumes were ready for when they arrived, taking special care to choose the biggest, fluffiest, _cutest_ dress he could find with a Lolita wig for Haruhi to wear so everyone could see that she was as cute as he always saw her.

Despite what many may consider to be "not cute," in their taste of girls, Tamaki wouldn't have her any other way, he just wanted everyone to see her the way that he did. She opened his eyes to so many different aspects of life that he hadn't even known existed, all without relying on looks or kissing up to anyone to prove her point and bring the truth to light. It had taken Tamaki a while to get used to this about her, since his head was stuck high up in his luxuries of a rich student, but somehow she'd brought him down, showed him what he had been missing and now he tried his best to stay with her and never go back. She constantly crossed his mind and kept him firmly on the ground, and in thanks and in love, he tried to do anything in his power to please her, even going to certain risky extents to figure out what she liked to eat, where she liked to go, what she liked in guys…

As everyone arrived and club activities started, Tamaki found his sights drifting over to Haruhi. The miserable look on her face emphasized the argument they had earlier when she refused to wear the costume. It had gone on for quite a while and wasn't until Kyouya stepped in and threatened her with the incredible size of her debt that she finally submitted, putting on the outfit, but plastering on her makeup half-hazardly as her own personal act of defiance. Despite her obvious discontent with her clothing, it showed in her eyes that Haruhi appreciated the compliments she was getting and as long as Haruhi was happy, Tamaki was fine with his one-sided romance with her. It was only when some things he felt for her just became too much to bear that his desperation for her approval burst out, and he found himself eavesdropping, researching, some have mentioned the word stalking that he didn't pay too much attention to…

"Haruhi, a customer." Kyouya called from his place against the wall, scribbling down on his clipboard. Tamaki's own customers were rambling on about something, so he allowed himself to watch her place the tray of tea down on a nearby coffee table and then escort a couple of girls over to a small arrangement of furniture close to Hunny.

"Tamaki? You've been rather quiet, would you like more tea?" asked one of the girls who had been rambling on beside him.

Focusing back onto the task at hand, he reached out, grabbing the hands of the girl who had spoken and pulled them close to his chest, staring deeply into her eyes. Her face flushed a deep red and her gaze fell, but her brought her eyes back to him as he lifted up her chin.

"No matter how much tea I have, m'lady, none of it will be as sweet as you." He cooed. The girl shrieked and sighed with pleasure over his words. "If you excuse me, ladies, I'll just be a moment. I'll stock up on sweets."

Politely standing and leaving the girls behind in their pleasures, he ever so inconspicuously shuffled over to the table in the room that stood between Hunny and his customers, and Haruhi and hers. A plant almost perfectly hid him, so it would give him a perfect vantage point to listen in on what was happening.

"What do you mean?" Asked a first year. "Don't you like anyone?"

"I really don't think that's what we're here to discuss. Don't you girls have any boys in mind? You're all so cute, you couldn't possibly not have boyfriends." Haruhi played, placing a mock smile on her face. Her customers turned away shyly, giggling in sickly sweet tones before one spoke up.

"We're actually surprised that _you_ don't have a _girlfriend_, Haruhi." Said a third year.

"Really?"

"Yes! You know, we could give you tips if you have a girl in mind you want to catch." Said the first year.

"Oh, I don't know, guys…" Haruhi held up her hands defensively, shaking both her hands and her head to avoid the conversation.

"No! Look. We all agree that this is quite possibly the best way a boy could ever ask a girl out on a date." Said the second year beside Haruhi.

"Exactly! If a guy said it to me, I'd date him in an instant." Said the first year.

"Forget _dating_, I'd try to marry him on the spot!" the third year chimed in.

Haruhi watched rather uncomfortably as the three girls seemed to sigh amongst their shared daydream, but they quickly recovered when she cleared her throat, almost bursting out of their seats with excitement. Their grins looked as if they could tear their cheeks, their happiness almost a little too happy for anyone, especially Haruhi, to handle.

"Okay, then." Haruhi muttered.

"Right! Well, it goes like this: if you have a girl you like and you want to ask her out, you have to be as amazingly romantic about it as possible." Said the second year. "You can't even go in halfway and back out, either. You have to go in all the way and give it your all so you're out there on the line and completely vulnerable. That shows the girl that you're serious."

As he piled several small doughy sweets onto a silver tray, Tamaki found himself leaning closer to them. The girls themselves had said that _all_ of them agree, so that would mean that many other girls would agree with their little romantic fantasy too, right? Haruhi included?

"Okay, then what is it?" Haruhi asked, almost confirming Tamaki's suspicions. She was curious. She wanted to know what it was too, and would thereafter expect it from anyone trying to ask her out! Of course! Tamaki quickly concluded that if he followed the technique the girls described completely, Haruhi would no doubt be his girlfriend by the end of the month—no, the end of the week!

"Well, to be romantic, you have to think romantic about it. What do you think that means, Haruhi?" asked the first year.

Haruhi clearly held back a roll of the eyes as she shrugged at them saying, "Flowers and chocolates?"

"Yes! You take a girl at sunset, and give her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. The flowers will keep her interested and follow you to the ideal spot." Said the third year.

"And the ideal spot depends on the girl. It all really depends on where she is the most comfortable, what place she just loves the most. I like the school's garden, so if a guy brought me there, it would keep me interested." Said the second year.

"And then, once you get her there, you bring her to a picnic you prepared there. Blanket and all. Set up the blanket with a couple of candles, have some blankets set aside in case you stare there into the night and get cold, then have chocolates waiting for her as part of her dessert, otherwise serving her whatever her favorite food is." The first year explained, sighing at the end.

"A romantic picnic…" Haruhi murmured.

"Yes, and then just as the colors are the most beautiful in the sky, you take her by the hand and confess your deepest feelings for her. The girl will be so overwhelmed by the romance she'll have no choice but to say yes! Of course, she'd have no reason to say no even if she didn't like you. I believe that if the guy puts forth as much effort into asking or for a date as he believes he loves me, then he's worth a chance even if I don't share the same feelings at first." The third year sighed.

"So, that's it? You just hold her hand and ask her? Then what?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"She'll be completely swept off her feet and say yes, and that's when you kiss her." The second year said with a giggle.

Tamaki froze at the mention of it. Yes, he loved her, and he had no problem in doing the other things for her, but kissing? He had tried to fantasize about it before, but the embarrassment of having such a perverted fantasy simply took all of the energy right out of him. It left him blushing deeper red than a cherry, his palms all sweaty, heart pounding and what thought processes he may have had completely flustered into a scrambled up blur.

"A kiss; that seems like a little too much for a starting relationship though. I'd would um… want to wait until we had been dating before kissing. If you rush things you ruin them." Haruhi said firmly. Tamaki made a mental note of this as the girls furrowed their eyebrows at the comment.

"I suppose you have a point." The first year agreed.


End file.
